ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Cabinet approves MoC between India and Japan in the field of Environmental Cooperation
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given ex-post facto approval to the Memorandum of Cooperation  between India and Japan. The MoC was signed on 29th October 2018 during the visit of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India to Japan.
Benefits:
The MoC will enable establishment and promotion of closer and long-term cooperation between India and Japan in the field of environment protection and management of natural resources on the basis of equity, reciprocity and mutual benefits, taking into account the applicable laws and legal provisions in each country. Further, the MoC entails exchange of information and technology between the two countries.
Environmental degradation falls on the socially and economically disadvantaged, more heavily than better-off sections of the society. Any effort at thwarting environmental degradation would lead to environmental equity in the sense of availability of sound environmental resources to all sections of the society. The MoC is expected to bring in the latest technologies and best practices suited for bringing about better environment protection, better conservation, better management of climate change and bio-diversity conservation.
Ministry of Science & Technology
Cabinet approves Introduction of National Research Foundation Bill, 2023 in Parliament to strengthen research eco-system in the country
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, today approved the introduction of the National Research Foundation  Bill, 2023 in the Parliament. The approved Bill will pave the way to establish NRF that will seed, grow and promote Research and Development  and foster a culture of research and innovation throughout India’s universities, colleges, research institutions, and R&D laboratories.
The bill, after approval in the Parliament, will establish NRF, an apex body to provide high-level strategic direction of scientific research in the country as per recommendations of the National Education Policy , at a total estimated cost of Rs. 50,000 crore during five years .
The Department of Science and Technology  will be the administrative Department of NRF which will be governed by a Governing Board consisting of eminent researchers and professionals across disciplines. Since the scope of the NRF is wide-ranging – impacting all ministries - the Prime Minister will be the ex-officio President of the Board and the Union Minister of Science & Technology & Union Minister of Education will be the ex-officio Vice-Presidents. NRF’s functioning will be governed by an Executive Council chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India.
NRF will forge collaborations among the industry, academia, and government departments and research institutions, and create an interface mechanism for participation and contribution of industries and State governments in addition to the scientific and line ministries. It will focus on creating a policy framework and putting in place regulatory processes that can encourage collaboration and increased spending by the industry on R&D.
The bill will also repeal the Science and Engineering Research Board  established by an act of Parliament in 2008 and subsume it into NRF which has an expanded mandate and covers activities over and above the activities of SERB.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 UPDATE
181.24 cr vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
India's Active caseload currently stands at 25,106
Active cases stand at 0.06%
Recovery Rate currently at 98.74%
2,652 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to
4,24,67,774
1,549 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours
Daily positivity rate 
Weekly Positivity Rate 
78.30 cr Total Tests conducted so far; 3,84,499 tests conducted in the last 24 hours
Vice President's Secretariat
‘People have every right to protest, but no place for violence in a democracy’: Vice President
Don’t compromise on the unity, sovereignty and security of India, says VP
Aim high, work hard, learn from the life and teachings of our great leaders: VP’s advice to students
Vice President interacts with students from Jawaharlal Nehru University
The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu today said that people have every right protest, but there is no place for violence in a democracy. ‘Damaging public property would be harming nation’s interests’, he said and called upon people to shun extremist tendencies.
Interacting with a group of students from Jawaharlal Nehru University at Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas, Shri Naidu called upon the people to protect the nation’s unity, sovereignty and integrity, and said that ‘hatred and intolerance are not part of Indian culture’. The Vice President reiterated that India is the largest thriving parliamentary democracy and follows the principle of ‘Sarva Dharma Sambhava’. He said that the colonial rulers tried to create an inferiority complex among Indians and urged students to take pride in India’s glorious civilisation.
Replying to a variety of questions from the students, the Vice President said that to be successful in life, it is important to aim high, work hard, and remain committed to achieving one’s goals. He advised the students to read about the lives and teachings of our great leaders and emulate their qualities to achieve success.
The Vice President wanted the students to protect and promote their mother tongue, while acquiring proficiency in as many languages as possible. He advised the students to adopt healthy food practices and undertake regular exercise.
Cabinet
Cabinet approves Interest waiver for the two months of November and December, 2016 for farmers accessing short term crop loans from Cooperative Banks and providing interest subvention to National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development  on additional refinance by NABARD to Cooperative Banks
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for interest waiver for the two months of November and December, 2016 for farmers accessing short term crop loans from Cooperative Banks. The decision also provides for interest subvention to National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development  on additional refinance by NABARD to Cooperative Banks.
Farmers in the whole of India availing short term crop loans, from Cooperative Banks will be benefitted.
The decision intends to ensure availability of resources with Cooperative Banks help farmers in easily accessing crop loans from Cooperative Banks to overcome the difficulties in view of the reduction in availability of cash for carrying out Rabi operations.
Additional resources are to be provided to Cooperative Banks through NABARD for refinance to the Cooperative Banks on account of interest waiver of two months for November and December, 2016. This will be extended by Cooperative Banks to the farmers in the current financial year 2016-17. An additional financial liability of Rs. 1060.50 crore will be required for this purpose. A sum of Rs. 15, 000 crore allocated during 2016-17 to implement the Interest Subvention Scheme  has already been utilised.
Background:
a) The Government of India has, since 2006-07, been implementing the Interest Subvention Scheme under which short-term crop loans upto Rs.3 lakh are made available to the farmers at an interest rate of 7 percent per annum by the Public Sector. Banks, Regional Rural Banks and Cooperative. Banks. Farmers are provided with 3% interest subvention for short term crop loan upto Rs. 3 lakhs on prompt repayment of the loan. Thus, farmers have to effectively pay only 4% as interest for the said crop loan.
b) Due to the cancellation of legal tender character of old Rs. 500 and Rs.1000 notes and the resulting difficulty faced by the farmers in en-cashing the cheques received against sale proceeds of their Kharif produce in the mandis; and also their constraints with adequacy of cash in carrying out Rabi operations and servicing the interest of the short term crop loans, especially in view of the restrictions imposed on Cooperative Banks, an interest waiver is being provided for a period of 2 months i.e. November & December 2016 to farmers who were disbursed crop loan from Cooperative Banks between 01.04.2016 and 30.09.2016.
c) The provision of additional financial resource of Rs. 1060.50 crore is on account of  meeting the cost of interest waiver for 2 months  for crop loan disbursed by Cooperative Banks between 01.04.2016 and 30. 09.2016 to farmers and  providing interest subvention and administrative cost to NABARD on short term borrowing of about Rs. 20,000 crore for on-lending to Cooperatives Banks in the current financial year.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
MoS Agriculture, Shri Kailash Choudhary inaugurates Pusa Decontamination & Sanitizing Tunnel
Pusa Decontamination and Sanitizing Tunnel, developed by Division of Agricultural Engineering, ICAR- Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, was inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Framers’ Welfare, Shri Kailash Choudhary here today in presence of Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary DARE and Director General ICAR and Dr A K Singh, Director, ICAR-IARI, New Delhi.
The sanitization protocol includes hand washing with foot-operated soap and water dispenser and fogging in a sanitizing tunnel for 20 seconds. In this tunnel, Quaternary Ammonium Compounds  are used at concentration of 0.045%, which is recommended by the Health Department.
Thermal Screening of MoS, MoA&FW Shri Kailash Choudhary before inauguration of Pusa Decontamination and Sanitizing Tunnel
Shri Kailash Choudhary, MoS, MoA&FW, sanitizing hands before inauguration of Pusa Decontamination and Sanitizing Tunnel
Shri Kailash Choudhary, MoS, MoA&FW, inaugurating Pusa Decontamination and Sanitizing Tunnel
Shri Kailash Choudhary, MoS, MoA&FW, decontaminating himself inside Pusa Decontamination and Sanitizing Tunnel
Prime Minister's Office
PM invites youngsters to harness their writing skills and contribute to India's intellectual discourse
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has invited youngsters to know about YUVA: Prime Minister’s Scheme For Mentoring Young Authors, a national scheme for nurturing young learners for future leadership roles.
In a tweet Shri Modi said
“Here is an interesting opportunity for youngsters to harness their writing skills and also contribute to India's intellectual discourse. Know more... https://innovateindia.mygov.in/yuva/”
The National Education Policy 2020 emphasises on empowering young minds & creating a learning ecosystem that can nurture young learners for future leadership roles.
To foster this goal, and commemorate India’s 75 years of Independence, a national scheme YUVA: Prime Minister’s Scheme For Mentoring Young Authors will go a long way in cementing the foundation of these leaders of tomorrow.
Essentially, the scheme envisions cultivating modern ambassadors of Indianliterature as the country heads towards 75 years of independence. India is ranked 3rd in the arena of book publishing, and to further boost this treasure trove of indigenous literature, it is imperative that this is projected at the global stage.
Prime Minister's Office
PM expresses grief over the loss of lives due to capsizing of a boat in Kota, Rajasthan
Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the loss of lives due to capsizing of a boat in Kota, Rajasthan.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said,
"Anguished by the capsizing of a boat in Kota, Rajasthan. My thoughts are with those who have lost their near and dear ones."
Prime Minister's Office
New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in the human-centric and inclusive development: PM
India’s G20 Presidency has been inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented
Important to emulate Gandhi Ji’s mission of serving the underprivileged, the very last person in the queue
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed confidence that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in the human-centric and inclusive development. He emphasized that India’s G20 Presidency has been inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented where the developmental concerns of the Global South have been actively voiced.
Highlighting the importance of emulating Gandhi Ji’s mission of serving the underprivileged, the Prime Minister underlined that India places great emphasis on a human-centric way of furthering progress.
The Prime Minister informed that he will be chairing Sessions on ‘One Earth’, ‘One Family’ and ‘One Future’, covering a range of issues of prime concern to the world community including furthering strong, sustainable, inclusive and balanced growth. He also mentioned holding bilateral meetings with several leaders and Heads of Delegation to further deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation.
The Prime Minister further added that Hon’ble President will host a dinner for the leaders on 9th September 2023. The leaders will pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat on the 10th of September 2023. At the Closing Ceremony, on the same day, G20 Leaders will share their collective vision for a sustainable and equitable ‘One Future’, together like ‘One Family’, for a healthier ‘One Earth’.
Sharing a thread on X, the Prime Minister said:
“India is delighted to host the 18th G20 Summit on 09-10 September 2023 at New Delhi’s iconic Bharat Mandapam. This is the first ever G20 Summit being hosted by India. I look forward to productive discussions with world leaders over the next two days.
It is my firm belief that the New Delhi G20 Summit will chart a new path in the human-centric and inclusive development.”
Ministry of Finance
Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman attends 2nd BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting
Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman participated via virtual mode in the second BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors  meeting under the BRICS China chairmanship, here today. The agenda of the meeting included discussions on outcomes of BRICS Financial Cooperation agenda for 2022. This included discussion on BRICS Joint Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Statement, Infrastructure Investments, New Development Bank and BRICS Think Tank Network for Finance.
Smt. Sitharaman observed that BRICS should continue to serve as a platform to engage in dialogues and facilitate exchange of experiences, concerns and ideas for rebuilding a sustainable and inclusive growth trajectory.
Speaking on India’s growth outlook, the Finance Minister shared that India’s economic growth will continue to be supported by fiscal spending along with an investment push, imparting momentum to the economy based on the idea of growth at macro level complemented by all inclusive welfare at micro level.
The BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors also discussed other legacy BRICS Finance issues such as Infrastructure investment, New Development Bank , BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement  etc.
Ministry of Home Affairs
CBI Urges for Fighting Against Corruption
Kolkata, August 10, 2018
Central Bureau of Investigation  is working for eradication of corruption in every Central Government office.
In order to continue their fight against corruption, it has urged everybody to complain to anti-corruption branch of CBI, Kolkata, if it is found that a Central Government employee is demanding money for any official work.
In a message CBI has urged people to complaint to its Anti-corruption Branch, Kolkata on numbers - 09051613440 or 033-2289-4408.
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
NCDRC resolved 854 consumer cases with 455 fresh filing cases with the highest disposal rate of 188% in the year 2023
The disposal of cases is higher than the filing of cases
The National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission  the apex consumer protection body in India, and the Department of Consumer Affairs have successfully resolved 854 consumer cases in the month of August 2023 whereas the filing of cases during this period is 455 making it the highest disposal rate of 188% in the year of 2023. This significant disposal of cases reflects NCDRC’s dedication to providing consumers with a fair and efficient mechanism for addressing their concerns.
The NCDRC has significantly improved the disposal of consumer cases in the commission in the year 2023. This achievement underscores their unwavering commitment to safeguarding consumer rights and ensuring prompt redressal of grievances.
With proactive steps from the President of NCDRC, streamlined processes and advanced technology like E-daakhil, cases are being resolved faster than ever before. Further, the Department for the regular monitoring of Consumer Cases has organized various one–day regional workshops in Guwahati on 2nd December 2022 in which the north-eastern states participated and in Chandigarh on 10th April 2023 in which the northern states participated. In the regional workshops, the issue of pendency of consumer cases was highlighted and its solutions were discussed in brief. The Department has organized the next regional workshop in Vishakhapatnam on 29th September 2023 in which the southern states are participating. Also, the Department has conducted sector-specific brainstorming sessions on insurance and real estate to reduce the pendency in the consumer commissions. State-specific meetings in various states like Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Bihar, Maharashtra and Kerala were also held by the Secretary , which were attended by Presidents/Members of the State Commissions and Principal Secretaries/Secretaries of the respective State Governments and discussions were held on addressing the challenges faced by the States in efficient and effective disposal of cases.
In furtherance of keeping the same momentum of disposal of cases, the Department has made filing of cases through E-daakhil in consumer commissions compulsory and soon going to launch the feature of VC on E-daakhil. As the scope of Artificial Intelligence is increasing rapidly the Department is also working on using the AI facilities in reducing the pendency of cases in the National, State and District Consumer Commissions. The case filed in the Consumer Commissions will be analyzed through AI and will generate the summary of the case and many more actions will be done through AI in resolving the case.
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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya to address the 76th World Health Assembly at Geneva
Universal Health Coverage, Public Health Emergencies, Health & Well-being and More effective and efficient World Health Organization form core priorities for this event
Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya will represent India in the 76th World Health Assembly at Geneva, Switzerland to be held from 21st to 30th May 2023.
In resonance with India’s commitment to a healthier world, the Union Health Minister will deliver keynote address at side events for ‘Heal in India and Heal by India’, as well as ‘Together we fight against TB’ reiterating India’s contribution in the field of Medical Value Travel and India’s resolve to eliminate Tuberculosis from India by 2025.
During the course of his stay till 24th May 2023, Dr. Mandaviya will attend various bilateral meetings from nations across the globe, fostering opportunities for healthcare collaborations between the participating countries and also participate in media interaction. The bilateral meetings will engage representatives from Singapore, France, Netherlands, USA, Bangladesh, Argentina, Brazil, Qatar and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Additionally, a multilateral meeting is also scheduled with representatives from BRICS .
The key agenda for this assembly will include discussions and deliberations on the issues of Universal Health Coverage, Public Health Emergencies, Health & Well-Being, and more effective and efficient World Health Organization  emphasizing the importance of global collaborations and partnerships for building resilient global health architecture and collectively striving to achieve Universal Health Coverage through value-based healthcare.
Ministry of Railways
Vinay Kumar Tripathi New Chairman and CEO of Railway Board
Kolkata, January 3, 2022
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shri Vinay Kumar Tripathi, General Manager, North Eastern Railway to the post of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer  of the Railway Board. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved a six-month extension, i.e., till December, 2022.
Shri Tripathi did B. Tech  from Roorkee and joined the Railways through Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers  batch of 1983. His first posting was as an Assistant Electrical engineer on Northern Railway. In his distinguished career, Shri Tripathi has successfully discharged his responsibilities in important posts of Northern, Central and Western Railway as well as held key posts of Divisional Railway Manager, North Central Railway, Allahabad, Chief Electrical Locomotive Engineer, Additional General Manager of Western Railway and Additional Member/Traction in the Railway Board.
This apart, Shri Tripathi attended higher management training programmes in Switzerland and USA. He played a key role in commissioning of a state-of-the art three-phase locomotives and their indigenisation which now serve as the workhorse of the Indian Railways. Under his able guidance, North Eastern Railway won two Railway Board shields-one in sale management and the other in running room category. Besides having a wide experience in railway management, Shri Tripathi is equally popular among the railway officers and staff.